Clutch-holding device



- 1 18, Feb. y22,1927. v LOCKWOOD ,6 936 CLUTCH HOLDING DEVICE Fi1e d Aug.

Y /N VEN TU/e I/a/L ama/00p A Trak/YEK L 'IOI.

The tractor, While being, used, mainlyA as Patented Feb. 22, 1927.

LGGKWOOD -AND JOSE-PH. P. LOCKXYOOD, BOTH OF'KEYSTONEQINDANA; CHARLES En DYSON, OF-PETROLEUM,-INDIANA;AND CECL C- LOKWOOD,-FI\MONTPEL1ER,

INDIAN-n.

CLUTCH- HOLDING DEVICE y. Application 1filed l.jhigust .14, 1926. ..Seiial,l}ro..i29,246.

This invention relates to, iinprovementsin control` (devices.A for A,al.ltd-motive l.ve,l 1i c,les, with reference. especially to tractors, :and in Whose structure are included; Vthe ,usual ,internal y,corn-bustion engine, clutch mechanism, powver tr 2 \.nsr nission`y device, and, dilterential gearing, andthe, several controllevers therea 'vehicle ot transport-ation, ,anchfoi the drawing 0f farm.impl.6m61.112s,.SadSO- ear@- ble ot' being-,usedjas astationary power plant .for the driving otmachinery of various kinds. In .range otuse so extensive, it is,desirable that. the operating .ofthe driven. machinery. .may be; stopped .or started, Without necessarilyV interrupting the operaf tien. Of-th tractor-,engine- The several ,reasons for,l and ltheadvantages :accomplishedbygmy invention, will become apparentasthe speciiicationo'f ,my invention proceeds the, object, of the` .invention Vbeing to `provide .means 1vvhereby the clutch lever may be -operatedso vthat the clutchinay vbe easilymoved` to zand. .retained at disengaged,position, and falso;y may t as easilyfbe releasedl to' the engaged or .holding pt )sitiongA the k operative,being able to operate such .means .by the fuse ofE his. foot,jor, by the use of his hand.

,'.Dhepresent inventionprovides a ihandlever. arm upwardlyy .disposed and hav-,ing its lower Yportion,y secured to the y,clutch footlever,` andv its upperI portiomprovided with a stud,. a bracketmember adapted to be secured to the frame ofthe tractor, `and a -U shaped gravity .dog pivoted atpitsbody portion ,on said bracket. and.` adapted to ynormally occupyf.,horizogntal position, there Ybeing a cam at the baseof eaehaleg, andthe forward end of the ,upper ,legbeing provided with, `a cam shaped hook, theaforesaid bracket being. so ,positioned that the said. hook is im- `in ediately at the rearotsaid stud, and the cams .being of.; such Form that they ;are engageable .bythe stud` of the .hand-.leverarin whenthe latter is operated. Yith the vaforesaid construction, combination and ,arrangement of parts, there is-sucli ,operation,that vwhen the hand-.lever ,arm is retracted the hookis raised and then dropped ,to holding engagement-j with the stud. Upon a further retractiveinovemelnt of the hand-.lever armL stud,. and thence relatively slowly returiie'd l toward norm'al, position, andat which said normal vposition, it drops. into, atterthesstud ofthe y,hand-lever,.arm Will have `passed-to the,nor1na l ,forward iand freeposition.

The .,oh]e cts of my v invention `are taccomplis'hed. by, and theinvention is embodied'in the new construction, combinationandarrangementy y,of part-s, described i-n the following spe'oitication, andillustratedinthe acn companying drawings. v The ,invention is deinedzin the v.appended claims. The several.. .parts of the i invention are1A identiied by suitable characters; of reference. *applied thereto in the ediiierentviews,in the' drawings, in Whichl `'lhrgure l isfa side view ,ofl myirnproved clinch-lever holding device. i

Figure 2is afvievv taken in directionotf the arrowI 2 in'. Figure 1. l` Efigure Slis' a sideyievv. ot afvtractorvma- ',chneVupon which the invention ,isf-shown install-d- ]`n.;,a tractor-,ot the usual type shown in Eigure 3, the clutch lever: A', having `the foot pedal, A occupies ,the-,position relative tothe .drivers seat B as shown. -i vZVith the saidflever A -atl thefnormal or retracted position- ,shotvmthe clutchis in its engaged, or driving status for actuating the ,power transmitting, conneCOns of the, drivng Whee1sC-` v Mv'invention maybe considered as ,an attachment adapted to ,bei Einstalled upon, trac- Itors valready in -vuse, 4or it Amay -be made to constitute apart .of lthe tractor structure as it is.v.manutactured.

The lhand-leverarm 11 inadeof cast Vor malleable metal has its lower portion provided.V with a shallow: groove to ittingly Aengage the clutch leverA, and to vvhicht lever itis .secured by boltedy clamps 2. T he length til) 6 designates a bracket plate. This bracket plate, made of sheet or malleable metal about three eightlis of an inch thick, is adapted to be secured to a frame part D of the tractor, by a cap screw E, and is provided with a ledge 7. This bracket plate occupies such position relative to the handlever arm, and its upper edge is of such formation, that an abutment 8 is provided for the stud 4 to meet when the full retractive shift of the hand-lever arm is made, as will be presently referred to.

lPivotally retained on a stud-pin 10 is a metal U shaped dogl 11. The location of the bearing in the body portion of said dog is 'such that by gravity, it normally occupies the position shown in Figure 1. The lower leg 12 rests on the ledge 7 and it is provided with a cam 12a. The upper leg 13 extends forwardly, its base being provided with a cam 13a and its forward portion being terminated'in the form of a hook 14 having a cam face 14a.

The normal positions of the several parts, when the clutch of the tractor is at the engaged positions, are shown in Figure 1. 'I `he invention may be practiced by the actuation of the pedal A of the clutch lever, or by the actuation of the hand-lever arm 1. To practice the invention, the operator, either by drawing rearwardly the hand-lever arm 1, or by pushing forwardly the clutch lever A, causes the stud 4 to engage the cam 14a (raising the dog) and to pass underneath the hook 14. In such movement, the hook drops into engagement with the said stud 4 and it holds the hand-lever against its urge to move forwardly. The saidhand-lever arm being thus held, the clutch is held disengaged, the said hand-lever, and the clutch lever being at the positions shown by the dotted lines in Figure 1. The operator, being thus able to retain the clutch in disengaged position, is enabled to have the tractor in gear, and to have the engine running, and in readiness to propel the tractor, when the hand-lever arm is again operated. In working the tractor to draw the implements, such as the plow, or binder, the operator is enabled `to throw in or engage the tractor clutch, either by handling the handlever arm directly, or by handling same by means of a line or cable attached to the link 5.

To return the tractor clutch to its engaged position, the hand-lever arm is simply drawn rearwardly from its held or dotted line position, and then permitted to spring forwardly. In this movement of the handlever arm, the action of the dog 11 is as follows: The stud 4, in its engagement with cam 13a causes the dog to swing on its pivot to the inverted or dotted line position, as shown in Figure 1. Immediately thereafter,

' and as the hand-lever arm moves forwardly,

the stud 4 engages the cam 12a, by the time the dog will have been brought about and past the point of equilibrium whence it falls to the normal position, the hand-lever arm will have advanced its full stroke, its stud 4 having been carried to position ahead or in advance of the hook 14.

The invention is economical to manufacture and to install, and is not liable to get out of order or repair. The use ofsame is easy to understand and much time and labor is saved to the operative who is denied the use of an assistant in operating the clutch incident to starting the travel of the tractor, when implements are being drawn and worked in the field.

I am aware that minor changes may be made'in the form and details of structure, within the scope of the invention as defined .by the appended claims, without departing from the spirit of the invention or sacrificing any of its advantages.

What I claim as my invention, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is:

1. A control device of the kind described, comprising a hand-lever arm upwardly disposed and having its lower portion secured to the clutch foot-lever, and its upper portion being provided with a stud, a bracket plate adapted to be secured to the frame of the tractor, and a U shaped gravity dog pivoted at its body portion on said bracket plate and adapted to normally occupy a horizontal position, there being a cam at the base of each leg, and the forward end of the upper leg being provided with a cam nosed hook, the aforesaid bracket plate being so positioned that the said hook reposes adjacentV tothe stud of said hand-lever arm, and the cams being of such form that each is capable of being engaged bythe stud when the handlever arm is operated.

2. A control device of the kind described, comprising a hand-lever arm secured to the clutch foot-lever and provided with a stud, a bracket plate adapted to be secured to the tractor frame, and a gravity dogassociated with said bracket plate and adapted to be so actuated that when the hand-lever arm is moved rearwardly the stud thereof is engaged and held, cams on said dog and which are so operable by the aforesaid stud that when the said hand-lever is further retracted and released to move fori ardly, the dog will have been inverted and then returned to its normal position after the hand-lever arm will have completed its movement to its normal forward or free position.

3; A holding device for a spring pressed control lever, comprising a projecting element associated with said control lever, a support element fixed on the tractor frame at position adjacent to the control lever, and a U shaped gravity dog pivoted at its body portion on said element and adapted to normally repose in horizontal position, there being a cain at the base of each leg, and the forward end of the upper' leg being provided with a cam nosed hook, the cains being of such forni that they are engageable by the said projecting element on said control lever When the latter is Operated.

4. A. clutch foot-lever holding device, comprising a hand-lever arm secured to said foot lever and being provided With a stud, a bracket plate adapted to be secured to the tractor traine and having a ledge thereon, and a U shaped dog pivoted at its body portion and having its lower leg to rest on said ledge, and the forward end `of the upper when the latter' is at the normal forward 20 free position.

VIRGIL LOCKVOOD. 

